Lights out across Canada for Earth Hour on March 28

Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montréal and Halifax are the first Canadian cities to join Earth Hour in 2009. Already, hundreds of other cities in more than 70 countries have pledged their support, including Las Vegas, London, Sydney, Moscow, Hong Kong, Rome, Manila, Cape Town, Warsaw, Lisbon, Mexico City, Dubai, and Copenhagen.

Earth Hour is a global lights-out phenomenon, led by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) that will bring together millions of people from around the world to show support for action on climate change. It also provides a global call in advance of world leaders meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009 to negotiate a new global deal on climate change. A new agreement is pivotal because in 2012, the Kyoto Accord, the most significant international agreement to control greenhouse gas emissions, will expire.

In 2008, millions of people in more than 35 countries participated in Earth Hour, including support from celebrities like Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Richard Branson and Nelly Furtado. In Canada, almost 10 million people in more than 150 cities from coast-to-coast turned off their lights, positioning Canada among the event leaders.

This year already, the number of countries participating has more than doubled, putting Earth Hour 2009 well on the way to meeting WWF’s global goal of one billion participants. In Canada, the goal is to have at least half the population of Canada participate as a national call to action.

“Last year, Earth Hour was about taking individual action for the planet” said Gerald Butts, President and CEO, WWF-Canada. “This year, we are asking Canadians to use Earth Hour to send a unified appeal to the world that we each need to take action on climate change. With a global plan being negotiated in December, this is a critical year for the future of the planet.”

To help achieve these goals, WWF-Canada has partnered with national sponsors Sears Canada, CBC, and Coca Cola Ltd. (Coca-Cola in Canada). Each partner city also has local sponsors to make Earth Hour 2009 even more successful.

“Sears is proud to be a national sponsor of Earth Hour 2009,” said Dene Rogers, President and CEO, Sears Canada Inc. “We recognize that businesses have an important role to play in managing climate change. At Sears, we continue to take major steps to reduce our impact on the environment. Sears is especially proud to have been named the Natural Resources Canada 2008 ENERGY STAR retailer of the year and we aim to reduce our energy use by 20% and recycle 90% of our waste within the next five years. We also believe that education about climate change is important and Earth Hour is an excellent way to demonstrate the significant positive impact that many individuals taking steps together can have in making our planet a better place to live.”

"Earth Hour has very much become a global phenomenon," says Richard Stursberg, Executive Vice President, CBC English Services. "We’re pleased to be the broadcast partner of this initiative, which focuses on the far reaching benefits of reducing our demands on the environment."

"Coca-Cola activates Earth Hour around the world,” said Nikos Koumettis President, Coca-Cola Ltd. “Earth Hour’s inspiring message of a hope for a better world is a clear call to action for us all to work together to save our planet. We hope to reinforce this message through selecting torchbearers for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay who have answered this call. Through our torchbearer nomination programs, Canadians who tell us how they are living sustainable lives may have the opportunity to be selected to carry the Olympic flame."

In Vancouver, WWF-Canada has partnered with the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Sun. "It’s absolutely crucial that we continue to build public awareness about climate change, and Earth Hour is a great way to get people engaged," said Mayor Robertson. "Everybody needs to play a role in taking action – the future of our planet demands it."

"The Vancouver Sun is proud to be part of Earth Hour. We have made a commitment to bringing awareness to the sustainability issue and look forward to sharing these stories with our readers" said Jamie Pitblado, Vice President Promotions & Community Investment.

On March 28th, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., everyone is encouraged to turn off their lights for one hour and participate in Earth Hour to prove that Canadians are taking action for our planet and want others to do the same. There is a role for everyone, including individuals, community groups, schools, businesses, and cities. Materials, including posters, logos, and web banners, are available online to help make the most of Earth Hour.

Don’t wait for Earth Hour, start practicing today and make every hour Earth Hour. To sign up, or for more information,

visit earthhour.org/canada.

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For further information:

Melissa Tupper

Communications Specialist

WWF-Canada

phone: 604-694-6652 cell: 778-835-2966 email: mtupper@wwfcanada.org

 

Kevin Quinlan

Executive Assistant, Office of the Mayor

City of Vancouver

Phone: 778-995-2264